iBet uBet web content aggregator. Adding the entire web to your favor.
iBet uBet web content aggregator. Adding the entire web to your favor.



Link to original content: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10288
An Archaeopteryx-like theropod from China and the origin of Avialae | Nature
Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

An Archaeopteryx-like theropod from China and the origin of Avialae

Nature volume 475, pages 465–470 (2011)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Archaeopteryx is widely accepted as being the most basal bird, and accordingly it is regarded as central to understanding avialan origins; however, recent discoveries of derived maniraptorans have weakened the avialan status of Archaeopteryx. Here we report a new Archaeopteryx-like theropod from China. This find further demonstrates that many features formerly regarded as being diagnostic of Avialae, including long and robust forelimbs, actually characterize the more inclusive group Paraves (composed of the avialans and the deinonychosaurs). Notably, adding the new taxon into a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis shifts Archaeopteryx to the Deinonychosauria. Despite only tentative statistical support, this result challenges the centrality of Archaeopteryx in the transition to birds. If this new phylogenetic hypothesis can be confirmed by further investigation, current assumptions regarding the avialan ancestral condition will need to be re-evaluated.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Xiaotingia zhengi holotype (STM 27-2).
Figure 2: Selected skeletal elements of STM 27-2.
Figure 3: Selected skeletal elements of Archaeopteryx.
Figure 4: A simplified cladogram showing the systematic position of Xiaotingia among the Coelurosauria (see Supplementary Information ).

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Feduccia, A. The Origin and Evolution of Birds 2nd edn (Yale Univ. Press, 1999)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Zhou, Z.-H. The origin and early evolution of birds: discoveries, disputes, and perspectives from fossil evidence. Naturwissenschaften 91, 455–471 (2004)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Witmer, L. M. in Mesozoic Birds: Above the Heads of Dinosaurs (eds Chiappe, L. M. & Witmer, L. M. ) 3–30 (Univ. California Press, 2002)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Zhang, F. C. et al. A bizarre Jurassic maniraptoran from China with elongate ribbon-like feathers. Nature 455, 1105–1108 (2008)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Xu, X. et al. A new feathered maniraptoran dinosaur fossil that fills a morphological gap in avian origin. Chin. Sci. Bull. 54, 430–435 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Hu, D. Y. et al. A pre-Archaeopteryx troodontid from China with long feathers on the metatarsus. Nature 461, 640–643 (2009)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Xu, K. et al. Jurassic System in the North of China (VII): the Stratigraphic Region of Northeast China (Petroleum Industry Press, Beijing, 2003)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Tamura, K. et al. Embryological evidence identifies wing digits in birds as digits 1, 2, and 3. Science 331, 753–757 (2011)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Christiansen, P. & Fariña, R. A. Mass prediction in theropod dinosaurs. Hist. Biol. 16, 85–92 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Turner, A. H. et al. A basal dromaeosaurid and size evolution preceding avian flight. Science 317, 1378–1381 (2007)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Xu, X. Deinonychosaurian Fossils from the Jehol Group of Western Liaoning and the Coelurosaurian Evolution. PhD thesis, Chinese Academy of Sciences. (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Osmólska, H., Currie, P. J. & Barsbold, R. in The Dinosauria 2nd edn (eds Weishampel, D. B., Dodson, P. & Osmólska, H. ) 165–183 (Univ. California Press, 2004)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  13. Makovicky, P. J. & Norell, M. A. in The Dinosauria 2nd edn (eds Weishampel, D. B., Dodson, P. & Osmólska, H. ) 184–195 (Univ. California Press, 2004)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  14. Makovicky, P. J., Apesteguı’a, S. & Agnolı’n, F. L. The earliest dromaeosaurid theropod from South America. Nature 437, 1007–1011 (2005)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Chiappe, L. M. et al. Anatomy and systematics of the Confuciusornithidae (Theropoda: Aves) from the late Mesozoic of Northeastern China. Bull. Am. Mus. 242, 1–89 (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Wellnhofer, P. Archaeopteryx-Der urvogel von Solnhofen (Friedrich Pfeil, 2008)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Zhou, Z. H. & Zhang, F. C. Anatomy of the primitive bird Sapeornis chaoyangensis from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning, China. Can. J. Earth Sci. 40, 731–747 (2003)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. Norell, M. A. & Makovicky, P. J. in The Dinosauria 2nd edn (eds Weishampel, D. B., Dodson, P. & Osmólska, H. ) 196–209 (Univ. California Press, 2004)

    Book  Google Scholar 

  19. Ji, Q., Currie, P. J., Norell, M. A. & Ji, S.-A. Two feathered dinosaurs from northeastern China. Nature 393, 753–761 (1998)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Fröbisch, J. & Reisz, R. R. The Late Permian herbivore Suminia and the early evolution of arboreality in terrestrial vertebrate ecosystems. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 276, 3611–3618 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Gauthier, J. Saurischian monophyly and the origin of birds. Memoirs Cal. Acad. Sci. 8, 1–55 (1986)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Paul, G. Predatory Dinosaurs of the World (Simon & Schuster, 1988)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Xu, X. et al. Four-winged dinosaurs from China. Nature 421, 335–340 (2003)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Sereno, P. C. The evolution of dinosaurs. Science 284, 2137–2147 (1999)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Holtz, T. R. Jr. A new phylogeny of the carnivorous dinosaurs. Gaia 15, 5–61 (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Norell, M. A., Clark, J. M. & Makovicky, P. J. in New Perspectives on the Origin and Evolution of Birds (eds Gauthier, J. & Gall, L. F. ) 49–67 (Yale Univ. Press, 2001)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Choiniere, J. N. et al. A basal alvarezsauroid theropod from the early Late Jurassic of Xinjiang, China. Science 327, 571–574 (2010)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Mayr, G. et al. The tenth skeletal specimen of Archaeopteryx . Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 149, 97–116 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Holtz, T. R. J. in New Perspectives on the Origin and Early Evolution of Birds (eds Gauthier, J. A. & Gall, L. F. ) 99–124 (Peabody Museum of Natural History, 2001)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Luo, Z. X. Transformation and diversification in early mammal evolution. Nature 450, 1011–1019 (2007)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Mayr, G., Pohl, B. & Peters, S. A well-preserved Archaeopteryx specimen with theropod features. Science 310, 1483–1486 (2005)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Hu, D.-Y. et al. A new sapeornithid bird from China and its implication for early avian evolution. Acta Geol. Sin. 84, 472–482 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Xu, X., Norell, M. A., Wang, X.-l., Makovicky, P. J. & Wu, X.-c. A basal troodontid from the Early Cretaceous of China. Nature 415, 780–784 (2002)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Hwang, S. H. et al. New specimens of Microraptor zhaoianus (Theropoda: Dromaeosauridae) from northeastern China. Am. Mus. Novit. 3381, 1–44 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Zheng, X. T. The Origin of Birds (Shandong Science and Technology Press, 2009)

    Google Scholar 

  36. Novas, F. E. & Puerta, P. F. New evidence concerning avian origins from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia. Nature 387, 390–392 (1997)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Forster, C. A. et al. The theropod ancestry of birds: new evidence from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar. Science 279, 1915–1919 (1998)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Xu, X., Ma, Q.-Y. & Hu, D.-Y. Pre-Archaeopteryx coelurosaurian dinosaurs and their implications for understanding avian origins. Chin. Sci. Bull. 55, 3971–3977 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Rauhut, O. W. M. The interrelationships and evolution of basal theropod dinosaurs. Palaeontology 69, 1–215 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  40. Senter, P. A new look at the phylogeny of Coelurosauria (Dinosauria:Theropoda). J. Syst. Palaeontology 5, 1–35 (2007)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  41. Novas, F. E. in Feathered Dragons, Studies on the Transition From Dinosaurs to Birds (eds Currie, P. J., Koppelhaus, E. B., Shugar, M. A. & Wright, J. L. ) 150–168 (Indiana Univ. Press, 2004)

    Google Scholar 

  42. Maryanska, T., Osmólska, H. & Wolsan, M. Avialan status for Oviraptorosauria. Acta Palaeontol. Pol. 47, 97–116 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  43. Zanno, L. E. et al. A new North American therizinosaurid and the role of herbivory in “predatory” dinosaur evolution. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 276, 3505–3511 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Zanno, L. E. & Makovicky, P. J. Herbivorous ecomorphology and specialization patterns in theropod dinosaur evolution. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 108, 232–237 (2011)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank X. Zheng for permission to study the holotype specimen of Xiaotingia zhengi and for discussions; P. Chen, L. Hou and Z. Zhou for coordinating the project; C. Sullivan for editing and commenting on the manuscript; R. Li for illustrations; T. Yu for preparing the specimen; X. Ding for editing the illustrations; D. Pol for help in using the TNT software package; P. Barrett, O. Rauhut, M. Kölbl-Ebert and M. Röper for facilitating access to the Archaeopteryx specimens under their care; and G. Mayr for discussions. This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Special Funds for Major State Basic Research Projects of China.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Science, Linyi University, Shuangling Road, Linyi City, 276005, Shandong, China

    Xing Xu

  2. Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 142 Xiwai Street, Beijing, 100044, China

    Xing Xu & Fenglu Han

  3. Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, 26 Baiwanzhuang Road, Beijing, 100037, China

    Hailu You

  4. Department of Biology, Capital Normal University, 105 Xisanhuan North Road, Beijing, 100037, China

    Kai Du

Authors
  1. Xing Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hailu You
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kai Du
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Fenglu Han
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

X.X. designed the project, X.X., H.Y., K.D. and F.H. performed the research, and X.X. wrote the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xing Xu.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Information

This file contains Supplementary Text (see contents list for details), Supplementary Figures 1-11 with legends, Supplementary Table 1, a Supplementary Character list, a Supplementary Matrix and additional refernces. (PDF 1639 kb)

PowerPoint slides

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Xu, X., You, H., Du, K. et al. An Archaeopteryx-like theropod from China and the origin of Avialae. Nature 475, 465–470 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10288

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10288

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing